I Like It When You Sleep
by CaptainVampireKing
Summary: "-for you are so beautiful, yet so unaware of it..." she mumbled under her breath, her fingers inching along the guitar cords as she struck them. And in the moonlight being cast, a freckled face dawned a smile. (Whole story inspired by The 1975's music. More details inside.)
1. Prologue: An Encounter

**Who here listens to The 1975? If you don't, they're** ** _AMAZING_** **. They're music can go from energetic to really mellow and it's good for listening in the middle of the night or for a drive around town. And I started getting really good ideas for a fanfiction with every other (or every third) chapter based on a song from their album but still following a constant plot.**

 **Also, a few songs I won't be able to include. So, if possible, I'll replace those songs with ones from a previous album of theirs. Those chapters will be marked with some kind of symbol that Fanfiction allows in the chapter title. Some songs will have to be skipped around because they won't work unless they occur at a certain point of the story. I'll also be including songs from their other albums even if they're not replacing one to help progress the story.**

 **Last, not every song will be completely relevant to the chapter representing it. Sometimes it might be one lyric, sometimes it'll be a whole stanza. Which is why I recommend at least looking up the lyrics to the songs so you can understand better.**

 **So, let's hope this works out how I want it to.**

* * *

 _ **~Prologue~**_

 _~An Encounter~_

* * *

How much of a chance was this?

These two hearts just barely missing each other in the moment, and yet so close.

And these said hearts had a lot to learn. A lot to do.

But it just wasn't the time.

So as two pairs of eyes locked on the other, as two shoulders just barely brushed against the other on this crowded street late at night... Two ears nearly missing the other catching their breath on sight...

Who's to say they won't meet again?


	2. Chapter 1: UGH!

*** = picture something like the " _Thunder Bay Community Auditorium_ " in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.**

* * *

 _~UGH!~_

 _"I'm not giving it up..."_

* * *

There was nothing Chloe Price enjoyed more than waking up in an empty house. No sound of her step-douche's voice, no sound of her mother's heels clicking against the stairs as she frantically searched for her keys so she could get to work. So, as Chloe sat up in her bed, she took the time to enjoy the general sounds of nature outside her window.

Chloe leaned over the side of her bed and stuck her hand under, feeling around for what she was in search of: a small metal box. When she felt her fingers brush against the edge of it, she smiled to herself and reached a bit further to pull it out. She lifted the box from the floor and set it in front of her.

 _Time to medicate the morning away._ she thought as she flipped the latch up and opened the box.

Inside was her ' **I *HEART* ARCADIA BAY** ' ash tray, her favorite lighter decorated with a blue butterfly, and a ziplock bag with a few premade joints in it. She took out the baggy, making a mental note to contact her dealer for more supplies later, and pulled it open to take out one specific joint that she started on the other day. She switched the sandwich bag out for the lighter and placed the joint at her lips. It took a few tries, but she clicked the lighter to flame and lit the joint with a pleased smile.

She put the lighter away and set the ash tray aside, closing the back and pushing it away as she reclined back onto her bed to stare at the ceiling. She inhaled her weed, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled through her nose. She watched the smoke as it wreathed around nothing to eventually dissipate into the air.

If Chloe had the opportunity to lay here all day she would take it in a heartbeat. Because if all of her days started like this, she'd be the happiest damn camper anyone ever saw. Of course, this wasn't the case but that didn't keep a girl from dreaming. At the very least if she could get rid of her mother's husband she'd be a lot better than she was now. After all, she did keep promising her mother that she would stop with the weed but how else was she supposed to deal with the bullshit of every day life if she wasn't benefiting from some kind of nerve relaxer?

She would never admit that the disappointed look in her mother's eyes and on her face was almost never worth it, though. If Joyce had cared so much about Chloe's wellbeing from the start, she wouldn't have married _David_. Chloe shuddered just thinking of his name.

Alas, despite the wonderful morning she was having so far, she knew it was going to be interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone. She was waiting for this call. Chloe once again sat up and grabbed her phone from the stack of boxes by her beside, answering the call. She put the phone on speaker.

"Whoever's calling, I swear it wasn't me this time." Chloe joked. She got up from the bed.

"Ha, ha." Rachel's voice came through the phone. "Very funny."

"I know, everyone tells me I should do stand up." Chloe said.

She could practically see Rachel rolling her eyes. "Where are you?"

"I'm getting ready right now." Chloe said. She held her joint between her lips as she slid open her closet door.

"You mean you haven't even _left_ yet?!" Rachel exclaimed. "Chloe, you know if-!"

"Calm your tits. She's not gonna do shit." Chloe said.

"This isn't the time to be fucking around. We've been preparing for this for three months now." Rachel said.

"Exactly, hence why Victoria's not gonna do shit." Chloe said a little smugly. She pulled out a pair of torn jeans and tossed them onto the bed. "It's too close to call for her to kick me out now. Plus, I'd like to see you guys replace me in" - Chloe glanced at the clock on her wall - "ten hours."

Rachel sighed in exasperation. "Just hurry up and get over here."

"On it." Chloe said. She didn't bother going to hang up the call, and it was confirmed that she didn't have to when she heard the line click off.

She continued to pull out her choice of outfit; her trademark leather jacket and a skeleton torso tank top. She walked over to her underwear drawer and picked out a deep purple bra with matching underwear because, hey, you never know when you'll get lucky. She took one final hit from her joint before stubbing it out and packing everything away. She put the case back where she had it, gathered up her clothes, and headed to her bathroom for a shower.

* * *

"Where the _fuck_ have you been?!"

Chloe had barely pulled into a parking space when Victoria Chase, her ever-so loving manager, appeared at her driver side window and started going off on her. Chloe rolled her eyes, knowing she should've brought her stash with her. But she would've gotten flack for that too since Victoria had _such_ a problem with her habit, especially when it affected her ability to focus on necessary tasks.

"Maybe give me a second to get out the truck before you start giving me shit?" Chloe said loud enough to be heard on the other side of the window.

She could practically see the steam rising from Victoria's ears as she stepped away from the truck. Chloe shut the engine off and opened the door, getting out as slowly as possible just to irk Victoria. She could tell it was working by how she started to bare her teeth. She closed the door and leaned against it, waving her hand.

"Proceed." she said.

"You were supposed to be here a half hour ago." Victoria said through her teeth. "What the fuck were you doing?"

"I woke up and wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet." Chloe said. She shrugged slightly. "You know how rare that is nowadays."

Victoria closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead. She breathed in, and breathed out. "Chloe," she said once her anger had melted away. "I understand how difficult things are right now, but we _cannot_ afford any screw-ups. We barely made back the money we spent to rent out the last venue. We need you on the ball, here."

Chloe sighed and tilted her head back, though it wasn't really out of annoyance. "I know..." she mumbled.

"Look," Victoria came forward and placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder, which made the taller girl look down at her. "We have a lot of people coming tonight. Do you think you can make it through tonight for me? For all of us?"

Chloe stared back at Victoria for a moment, her jaw set and hands shoved in her pockets. As much as she hated being reminded, she knew Victoria's boss would have _all_ their heads if any one of them stepped out of line again and Chloe had pushed his buttons enough. She inhaled slowly.

"Okay."

Victoria smiled. "Thank you. Now," She pointed at the *concert hall behind her. "Get in there and get to work. We have just over nine hours to put this all together."

"Aye, aye, captain." Chloe gave a mock salute and walked around Victoria towards the building.

* * *

Chloe cut around through the back area to get to the stage. When she came around the curtain, She saw Rachel setting up both her and Chloe's guitars. Steph Gingrich was testing the speakers from her keyboard, and Mikey North was in search of his drumsticks. Chloe smiled a bit as she approached them.

"The party has arrived." she announced, opening her arms. "Hold your applause."

"Can 'the party' explain why she's showing up an hour after she was called?" Steph teased lightly, looking up from her piano.

"Hey, if you woke up in a quiet house after days of bullshit wouldn't you want to enjoy it for as long as possible?" Chloe asked.

"What did Victoria have to say about it?" Mikey said. He was on his knees rooting through their equipment.

"The usual." Chloe said it as if she were brushing off the situation. Which she was.

"By usual, do you mean the 'if-you-keep-fucking-up-you're-outta-here' kind of usual or the 'if-we-keep-losing-money-we're-all-fucked' kind of usual?" Rachel said.

Chloe picked up her bass and placed the strap around her body, watching her fingers pluck a few notes to avoid making eye contact with any of them. "The second one, mostly."

"Guess that's a good sign, then." Rachel replied.

"It's only a good sign that Chloe's still dancing on thin ice." Mikey commented. "It's not a good sign for Wounded Premonition as a whole."

"Mikey's right. We really need to get our shit together or it's bye-bye to the band." Steph said.

"If you ask me, we need a better advertiser." Chloe said. "Where the fuck does Warren put the ads for our gigs, anyway? In bathroom stalls for people to wipe their asses with?"

"Warren's doing the best he can with what he has at the moment. You gotta give him some credit." Steph said.

"I don't have to give him shit." Chloe said. "Dude sucks at his job."

"I'm sure once we start raising more money, he'll get better." Rachel said.

"Aha, there you are you little bastards!" Mikey raised his hands in victory, one hand closed around his two drumsticks. He got up from his knees and went to his drums, settling down on his stool. "Just in time for sound check."

"Which should be-" Rachel began.

"Alright, people, hustle up!" their sound director, Dana Ward, appeared from backstage. "Let's get started!"

"Now." Chloe finished for Rachel and they laughed.

* * *

Seven hours later, the quartet was helping set up for the Meet & Greet in the small lobby area. It was separated from the rest of the lobby, the barrier rope leading from one of the three doors. It came around to the table and then continued back around to the ticket booths near the doors to enter the hall.

The table was draped in a baby blue cover. Under the table were four water bottles for each of them. Posters, CDs with their signatures already signed on the front, t-shirts that read ' _The Future Can Only Get So Bright_ ' with an eyeball sporting a cracked iris on the front and ' _Wounded Premonition **Losing Sight** Tour circa 2017-2018_' on the back, and lanyards reading the same as the shirts were splayed out on the table. There were even a few hats/beanies with their eyeball symbol on the front of it. The symbol was Chloe's idea, which they all deemed it was fair for her to choose since she came up with the band name. Steph came up with the quote and Victoria only approved it because it went with the theme.

"Next time, try to be a bit more inspiring." she had said encouragingly.

Behind the table was a fair sized cut out of them. Chloe was standing in the front and looked like she was shouting into the microphone clutched in her hand, Rachel was holding her guitar over her head with a smug grin, Steph had her fingers placed on the keyboard with her eyes closed and mouth slightly open like she was performing back up vocals, and Mikey had his drumsticks positioned as if he were twirling them between his fingers. Attached to the cutout was a banner that read ' **WOUNDED PREMONITION MEET & GREET**' in bold white letters.

In one of the four chairs pushed up to the table Chloe was reclined with her phone in her hand. She had her messages open.

 **Mom (Thu 07/13/17, 6:03pm):** You're gonna do great tonight, honey, I'm sure of it.

Chloe couldn't help a small smile, unable to deny that she still loved and appreciated her mom no matter how much she felt she was stabbed in the back by her when she hitched up to the army brat.

 **Chloe (Thu 07/13/17, 6:04pm):** Thanks mom. Don't bother waiting up tonight, I might be coming in late.

Chloe didn't want to think about how, if things started going right, she wouldn't have to tell her mom not to wait up anymore as much because she would just _know_ not to when Chloe was out of state performing. She'd miss it, yes, but she would learn to get over it if this was the life she wanted.

"Man, just listen to them out there." Rachel said as she came and sat next to Chloe. She left Mikey and Steph to tend to organizing the remaining merchandize in the correct boxes and taking them to the van parked out behind the venue.

"Hm?" Chloe picked her head up from her phone to look at Rachel.

Rachel chuckled. "The fans." She jerked her thumb towards the doors.

Now that Rachel mentioned it, Chloe could hear the excited chatter coming from outside that was growing by the minute. She smiled a bit. "Oh, yeah. Just wait until they get in here. It'll be a mosh pit, and not the fun kind."

"True. But it's good to know that so many people love us and our music." Rachel said. She noticed Chloe's phone in her hands and raised an eyebrow. "Texting your mom?"

"Yeah." Chloe said, looking back down at her phone just as it vibrated with another message from Joyce. She turned the screen off and tucked the device into her pocket, no longer wanting to answer once she glanced upon David's name in the notification bar. That wasn't how she was going to let the evening begin.

"Is she getting her root on?" Rachel said. She nudged Chloe with her elbow, making her laugh softly.

"Something like that." she replied. "It's nice to know that she's proud of _something_ I'm doing, y'know?"

"Believe me, I know." Rachel said. "I can't tell you how annoyed my dad was when I told him I didn't want to take his place at the firm and wanted to go into music instead." Rachel shook her head. "It took a few days of my mom trying to change his mind for him to finally accept it. But I know he still has hope somewhere in his heart that I'll give this up and go home."

"Do you miss being home?" Chloe asked. She picked her gaze up to lock eyes with Rachel. "Like, do you miss California?"

"Honestly..?" Rachel said. "Not really. Well, I miss home but I don't miss California. There was nothing much for me there unless you count mudslides, earthquakes, forest fires, and droughts."

"If I remember correctly, you told me you almost started one of those forest fires." Chloe teased, starting to grin.

"Okay, first, that was like five years ago. Two, _almost_. I did the responsible thing and called the fire department before it could get out of hand." Rachel said, returning Chloe's grin.

"A fire within a group of trees is still a forest fire, Amber." Chloe declared. "No matter how small."

"Shut up, smart ass." Rachel rolled her eyes. "But why are you asking anyway."

"Well..." Chloe shifted in her seat, suddenly acutely aware to the mass of cheering filtering from the outside. "I keep thinking about how much our lives are gonna change if things really pick up for us. More tours, more fans, more money... I don't know what it's like to be away from home for more than a month."

Rachel set her hand on Chloe's back reassuringly. "It's not as bad as it seems. I can say that with absolute certainty. It may seem scary now, but you'll get used to it. 'The future can only get so bright', right?"

Chloe groaned and shoved Rachel away, sending the girl into a fit of laughter. "I hate you." She said, laughing herself. But the swelling sense of dread was starting to melt away, which she was thankful for.

"Five minutes until the stampede." Mikey said as he and Steph came around from behind the cutout. They took their seats at the table and he bent down to grab his bottle. "You guys ready?"

"About as ready as we'll ever be." Chloe said.

"Get used to the fresh air now. That's all gonna go away once those doors open." Steph said.

"Can't smell any worse than you do after we get off stage." Rachel said, squealing as she dodged Steph's swatting hand.

"That was one time! And only because _someone_ thought it would be funny to hide my deodorant from me for the whole day." Steph glared at Mikey.

Mikey raised his hands in defense, pointing at Chloe and nearly choking on his mouthful of water. "It was her idea."

"Guilty as charged." Chloe beamed.

"Guys." Rachel nodded towards the doors and the three security guards approaching them to open them. Her phone beeped. signaling it was 6:30 on the dot. "Showtime."

* * *

 **And that is all for this chapter. As some of you might have noticed, I decided to adopt the band theme idea from the ' _Chloe's Band_ ' chapter in _Max's Scrapbook_. I figured it would work well into the storyline while also giving me an opportunity to possibly use more songs.**

 **I did my best to put a lot of thought into this and give myself enough material to work with down the line but like you guys I can only wait and see what happens as it comes.**

 **With all of that being said, I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed and don't be afraid of those follow/favorite/review buttons because they don't bite! I hope you'll join me in chapter two :)**

 **CaptainVampireKing awaaay!**


	3. Chapter 2: UGH! & Love Me

**Welcome! This chapter is inspired by two songs. Really quick: ages (as of the beginning of this story).**

 **Rachel: 22**

 **Chloe: 22**

 **Steph: 21**

 **Max: 20**

 **Mikey: 18**

 **I've also realized that it would just be easier for me to include the lyrics that inspired the chapter since a lot of the songs will experience a reprise down the line with different lyrics. So I updated the last chapter and included the lyrics and I'll continue implementing them from here on.**

* * *

 _~UGH!/Love Me~_

 _"I'm not giving it up..."_

 _/_

 _"And love me, if that's what you wanna do..."_

* * *

"Oh, my _god_!" The redhead girl at the table screamed when she finally got there. She had her own CD in hand and was already wearing a Wounded Premonition t-shirt with just the eyeball. "I _love_ you guys, your music is _AMAZING_!"

Rachel chuckled softly as she gestured for the girl to hand her her CD. "Thanks so much." she said, looking down to scrawl her signature across the case. She handed it off to Chloe who did the same.

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing you all in _person_ , though! I've been dreaming about this for a year!" The girl continued.

"Glad it could finally be fulfilled." Steph said. She handed the girl back her CD, along with one of each merchandize item on the table.

The girl took them gratefully and did a giddy little dance. "Thank you so much!" she said, and she was guided by the security guard at the table back to the ticket booths.

Behind her was a guy about their age with black hair, who smiled once he got to the table. Rachel picked up a CD from the stack and started the signing process.

"I gotta say, you guys are so badass." the guy praised. "You're just about all I listen to on Spotify. I love listening to 'Bad Day' while I'm at work."

"Fun fact, that song was written in two hours by Chloe." Mikey said with a small laugh.

"Nothing inspires a good song like a terrible sted-dick." Chloe grinned as she handed him the CD.

"Oh, man, I know how bad step-fathers can be." the guy said. He took the merchandize from Steph and smiled wider. "Thank you." he said and walked away.

Following him was a girl with short brown hair. She was wearing a beanie decorated with pins of the band members and the eyeball. Chloe pointed at the pins and smirked.

"Redbubble?" she asked the girl. She took the CD when Rachel nudged her.

The girl laughed a bit and shook her head. "No, Etsy. But close."

"Whoever made them, they look really cool." Steph observed.

"Yeah, they even managed to catch my incomparable hotness." Rachel joked.

"Get over yourself." Mikey laughed.

"Your music really helps me out, by the way." the girl spoke up as she took the stuff from Steph's hands. "'Meet Me' is my favorite song to listen to when I'm feeling down." She smiled a little bigger and made her way to the booths.

And the line went on.

* * *

Two hundred and fifty six autographs later, Chloe was flexing her hands and making a face. "Any more of that and I would have developed arthritis on the spot." She complained. "Pretty sure my last set of signatures were just fancy squiggles and loops."

The group was setting up on stage behind the closed curtain. They could hear their fans chatting and getting riled up on the other side.

"Just another thing we'll have to get used to when we hit it big." Steph said.

"Just multiply what we got times ten, then add that to just about every day of the week." Mikey said.

"Not too mention the autographs we'll be asked for in public." Rachel said. "It'll be hell."

"Yeah, but it's what we're signing up for." Mikey said.

"Oh, yeah, Mikey," Chloe said. She glanced at him from looking at her electric guitar. "Don't forget I need your set for the second half of the show."

"I didn't. I've got your sticks right here." Mikey held up his hands to show her and she smiled.

"Awesome." Chloe said.

"Okay, people, are we ready to go?" Victoria said, coming in from the backstage area.

"Just about. We're double checking to make sure our instruments are in tune." Steph said.

"Good." Victoria grinned. "Now, we have an almost completely sold-out show here. Let's not blow this."

"Of all the things we could possibly blow, I doubt it'll be this." Rachel said, snickering at the look Victoria gave her.

"Curtains open in five." she said and exited the stage.

"Hm. I know a few things Victoria could blow " Chloe said. "Might make her days brighter."

Steph punched her arm, laughing. "Don't talk about our manager like that. You know how she gets before shows."

"All I'm saying is getting laid might do her some good." Chloe raised her hands and shrugged.

"Right. And you know so much about getting laid." Rachel grinned.

"Psh, you know I do." Chloe said, mirroring Rachel's grin.

"Oookay, curtain goes up in ten, nine..." an overhead male voice said.

The group immediately got into their places and readied their instruments.

"... four, three, two... One."

The curtain lifted and the cheering of the audience immediately grew in volume. A smiled graced Chloe's lips despite the deafening sound and she carefully stepped up to the microphone casted in the dimmest of lights. Her boots thudded against the stage until she came to a stop and all of their outlines could be made out by the lights in the far back.

The lights came on over Chloe and the crowd went wild when she lifted her head up to take in the audience. The rest of the lights came up on the band. Chloe raised her hand, held it for two seconds, and then brought it down on the cords of her guitar. The sound reverberated in the open space and the people started to sound like they were losing their minds.

"How ya doin', party people?!" Chloe said into the mic. Screaming was her only response. "We're-"

"-Wounded Premonition!" They all said together.

"And we're here to rock your world!"

* * *

When two hours and three sets of bows passed, the curtain finally fell closed. Chloe, despite being out of breath and a little sweaty, was grinning from ear to ear just like the others.

"That was amazing." Steph said.

"This crowd was so damn lively tonight." Rachel said.

"One of the best we've had so far." Mikey said.

The backstage door opened and closed. "And it's only gonna get better from here." Victoria said. "I am so proud of you guys. You put on a great show tonight."

"Damn right we did." Chloe said. "They were losing their shit over us."

"That's what you're gonna keep doing; make people lose their shit over you." Victoria said. "It'll get more asses in the seats and more money in our pockets. But for now, you all look like you need a breather. Start packing up."

"Yes, ma'am," the group said collectively and mockingly, to which Victoria rolled her eyes.

They started with unplugging and rolling up the wires from their instruments and setting them in their properly labeled bin. Following that, the rest of their crew came in and took over taking down the stands and sets while they headed to the backstage area to relax.

Chloe flopped down on the couch and kicked her feet up on the arm opposite to her, throwing her head back and letting out a satisfied groan. The tension that had built up while performing was already melting from her body. Rachel sat on the floor in front of her while Mikey and Steph took the two beanbag chairs.

"So," Steph said. The others smiled because they knew what was coming. "We had over two hundred people come to our meet and greet..." She sat up more and leaned forward, placing her hands together in front of her mouth. "Discuss."

"I think that guy with the red hair was hot." Rachel said first, a stupid smile on her face.

"For real?" Chloe looked at her. "He gave me a kind of douchey vibe. Like maybe he would take a girl out to a movie with barely anyone in it just so he could shove his hand between her legs."

"True, but that doesn't mean he'd be a bad lay. Just a bad boyfriend." Rachel replied.

"I think those twins we got were pretty cute." Mikey said.

"They were really hyper, though." Steph's nose scrunched up slightly.

"So was, like, _ninety-six_ percent of everyone else." Rachel said.

"Yeah, but I think they were the only one's i couldn't understand what the fuck they were saying." Steph said.

"I wonder what would happen if you fucked a twin." Chloe said aloud. She tucked her arms under her head to prop herself up.

"What are you talking about?" Mikey asked.

"You know how they say a lot of twins have that six-sense shit with each other?" Chloe said. "If you were to fuck one of them, would the other feel them having an orgasm or what?"

Rachel burst out laughing. "Chlo, you're stepping into supernatural territory there. You're putting way too much thought into it. Or maybe you're just stoned."

"Hey, I'm genuinely curious!" Chloe said.

"So go find yourself a pair of twins and find out." Steph wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.

Chloe stuck up her middle finger at Steph, making the others laugh. "Nah, I think that chick with the purple hair was more my type." She paused. "Or the one with the beanie."

"She seemed like a shy one." Mikey said, referring to the girl in the beanie.

"You know what they say about the quiet ones," Rachel said. Her smile turned mischievous. She pulled out her phone to open up the internet.

"It's always the quiet ones." Steph said.

"You two are ridiculous." Mikey said.

"But they're not wrong." Chloe said, holding up a finger. "It really is always the quiet ones that are real screamers."

"Duh, of course you'd know that." Steph jabbed at Chloe, who once again flipped her off.

There was a beat of silence before Chloe spoke up. "Alright, so... How are we hitting up the town tonight?"

Rachel was scrolling through her phone, reading a list of nearby nightclubs. "Well, there's a really cool nightclub a few miles from here."

"Age limit?" Mikey asked, his hand slightly raised.

"Uh..." Rachel clicked the link and kept reading. "Eighteen for the lower floor, twenty-one for the bar upstairs." She smiled up at Chloe. "How does that sound?"

A smiled creeped its way across Chloe's face and she looked at Rachel. "It sounds perfect."

Mikey looked up at Steph. "You're not gonna leave me alone, right?"

"'Course not." Steph patted his head. "You know I don't drink like that anyway."

"Which is why you're always designated driver." Chloe pointed out.

" _And_ why I'm always the one to get you two out of trouble." Steph said. "I always have to cover for your asses whenever we go out otherwise Victoria goes ballistic."

"And we love you ever so much for it." Rachel said.

Chloe pushed herself up to a sitting position and stretched her arms over her head. "Well, whaddya say we head out now, board the party train until one, and then head back to Arcadia Bay then?"

"Sounds good to me." Steph said "So long as we can get up in the morning."

"We'll be fine. We don't have to meet Victoria until two o'clock." Mikey said. "That'll give us more than enough time to get a decent amount of sleep."

"Then it's decided!" Chloe stood up from the couch and grinned at her band mates. "We're going clubbing. Let's get our shit and get out there."

"Which car are we taking?" Rachel asked.

"We'll have to take them both since it'll take too long to bring my truck home and have Steph drive us back." Chloe said.

"I can drive Steph's car and she can drive yours when we leave." Mikey suggested. "She does know how to drive a standard."

"I guess that could work." Steph said.

"I'll carpool with Chloe this time." Rachel got up from the floor and looked to Chloe for confirmation.

"Fine with me." Chloe shrugged. She went over their bags, specifically Rachel's bag, and reached inside to pull out her keys. She dangled them off her finger and grinned. " Let's hit it."

* * *

Steph's car and Chloe's truck were parked side by side when they arrived to the nightclub. They all sidled out of their respective vehicles and came together on the sidewalk. Chloe immediately handed her keys over to Steph in case she forgot to later and Steph tucked both sets in her pockets with a smile.

"Alright, you guys can go enjoy yourself while I engage in babysitting duty." Steph said, throwing an arm around Mikey's shoulders.

Mikey rolled his eyes and shrugged out from under her arm. "Can't wait until I'm twenty one." he said.

"Three more years, kiddo." Chloe said. She noogied his head and grinned, walking past him with Rachel in tow.

"C'mon," Steph nodded after them and Mikey fell in step beside her.

Outside of the nightclub, they could just barely hear the music leaking through the walks and slightly cracked windows. They saw the lights flashing and strobing with the people inside creating silhouettes in the windows. They rounded the corner of the building and Chloe reached the door first, smiling at the others as she opened up the passageway.

Opening the door was like entering a completely different world. With her hand on the door, Chloe could feel the force of the bass pulsing in the walls. While the outside world was decorated in various colors, the club only possessed the basic rainbow of lights. There was well over a few dosen people on this level alone and Chloe and Rachel could hardly imagine what would be going on upstairs.

The door closed behind Mikey, taking the last gust of fresh air they would breathe for the next three hours. The air in their lungs was replaced with the scents of weed, alcohol, and an array of body odor including sweat. Smoke veiled just over their heads.

"Damn." was all Chloe could manage.

"Race ya to the bar." Rachel said, grinning at Chloe. She nodded over the bluenette's shoulder at the stairs a few feet away

Chloe looked at her and grinned back. "You're on."

The two took off towards the stairs, leaving Steph and Mikey to their own devices. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Wanna see what kind of food they got?" Steph asked.

"Sure." Mikey replied.

Steph placed her arm around Mikey and steered him towards the counter on the other side of the club.

* * *

Time struck midnight. Rachel and Chloe were near completely wasted in the two hours they'd been there. There were a few murmurs here and there about them being "those two chicks from that one band" going around but they weren't paying them too much attention. In that moment, the two were dancing close to the center of the floor with each other.

Everyone was entranced by the way Rachel and Chloe's bodies moved fluidly against each other, though no one really noticed the smiles on their faces as they danced. Among their friends, it was no secret these two had a past when they first met. And it was also no secret that they still had feelings for each other... somewhere. Yet they both knew that they just didn't work as a couple.

However, outside of their friend group... Well, that was a different story.

The party goers had created an outer circle around the girls, either cheering them on or picking their jaws up from the floor. Or hiding not-so-discreet tents down below. When the song finished, Rachel laughed and said something about going to get another drink. She parted from Chloe and turned for the bar, the crowd creating a path for her not unlike the Red Sea making way for Moses.

Chloe ignored all the eyes trained on her and went for the seating area beside the stairs. She fell onto the sleek leather couch and her head went back as she sighed in exhaustion. Her head was spinning a little as a result of the alcohol and the contact high she was getting. Her heart was racing in her chest. She didn't pick her head up until she felt the couch sink beside her, looking to see who it was.

It was a girl with long blonde hair, and she was smiling at Chloe.

"Hey," she said.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Hey."

"Those were some real moves you and your friend were displaying on the dance floor." the girl complimented. She inched a bit closer, and Chloe glanced down with a small but cautious smile.

"You think so?" Chloe asked. She met the girl's eyes again.

"Oh, for sure." the girl said. She leaned forward, biting her lip for a moment. "How about you show me what else you got?"

Chloe let out a chuckle. She glanced around to see if anyone's watching them. "Someone put you up to this?"

The girl shook her head and held up her hand. "Scout's Honor. I'm just..." - her other hand rested on Chloe's knee - "...genuinely curious..."

Chloe would be lying if she said the hand on her knee wasn't doing _something_ to her. She felt a few tingles run up her spine. She was far from a stranger to one night stands, and she had to admit that she was growing just a little desperate for some physical contact. It was another habit she kept promising she'd drop.

She looked over to the bar, satisfied to see that Rachel was still chatting up the bartender. She seemed decently occupied. Chloe didn't doubt she would come back and know immediately where she'd disappeared to, though. And she would more than likely tell Steph and Mikey which would result in both teasing and scolding. But that didn't matter. Not right now. Chloe returned her attention to the blonde and smirked.

"Lead the way."

The blonde giggled and took Chloe's hand. She pulled her up from the couch and, with a wink, started leading her in the direction of the upper floor's bathrooms. They weaved through the stoners and alcohols almost flawlessly. When they came to the women's restroom the girl turned around and gave Chloe a wicked grin and opened the door, pulling her inside.

And Chloe spent the rest of the hour in a bathroom stall.

* * *

 **Okay! Second chapter completed! I'm afraid to say that the girl Chloe went into the bathroom was *gag* Taylor Christensen. She was the one I had in mind so... Yeah.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will join me for the next one!**

 **Also, feel free to follow my Twitter (CaptainVampireK) and like my Facebook page (Captain Vampire King) for updates!**

 **CaptainVampireKing awaaay!**


	4. Chapter 3: TMBMD & She's American

_~This Must Be My Dream/She's American~_

 _"Takes a particular type of girl_

 _To put my heart under arrest_

 _So why is this feeling on my chest..?"_

 _/_

 _"Well, your face has got a hold on me..."_

* * *

"Relax, mom. It's not forever." Chloe said. She zipped up her suitcase. "It's only for a few days."

"And you said those few days could change to six months." Joyce counteracted.

"Or a year." Chloe tacked on.

Joyce was standing in the center of Chloe's room, watching as she gathered some of her belongings to take with her on the road. Some clothes, her stash (which she managed to smuggle into her case just before her mom entered), and all the bathroom essentials. Joyce had been fussing since she stepped into the room, going on about how she would be "so worried" and want to "call every night".

Chloe appreciated the motherly love, but it was time for her to start going her own way. It was bad enough she was still living at home at twenty-two. This mini tour would be her first steps to finally being on her own no matter how scary the thought might be.

She was also thankful for the fact that David wasn't home at the moment, having gone to visit his family for a couple days. The only thing Chloe wasn't entertaining was the thought of her mom being here alone for more than a day. The last time she was left in the house for so long was when Chloe's father died. Two years of Chloe leaving for school and leaving her mother on her own in the house.

Chloe might've hated David, but he was making her mother happy.

The sound of a horn honking outside brought Chloe back to the present and she went to the window, pulling back the American flag to look out. In front of her house was a tour bus with ' _Wounded Premonition_ ' stylized like spray paint along the side. The doors opened and Rachel stepped outside. She looked up at Chloe's window and waved for her to come down. Chloe smiled and held up a finger before backing away from the window.

"They're here." she told her mother.

"Alright, sweetie." Joyce opened her arms for Chloe to come to her.

Chloe smiled softly and went to her mother, letting her envelope her in a warm embrace.

"Three days or a year, I don't care," Joyce began. She moved away to look at her daughter seriously. "So long as you take care of yourself and the others. And come home safely."

"I promise, mom." Chloe said. "You'll have nothing to worry about."

"I'd hope not." Joyce said. She smiled a bit sadly and patted Chloe's shoulder. "Have fun."

Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Joyce kissed her forehead, but smiled as she made her way out the door. "I will!"

Chloe's boots thudded down the stairs as she rushed, hearing the horn blare again. She got the door open and ran to the bus, grinning at the others waiting for her at the door. The driver had already come out and opened the storage spaces for her to put her luggage in. She did so and the driver locked them closed once more. As she climbed onto the bus, she looked back to give her mom one last wave.

* * *

"Okay, so this is what our current schedule looks like," Victoria said. She opened up a binder in her lap. "First thing tomorrow morning is the photoshoot in Seattle. Shouldn't take more than a couple hours. After the photoshoot, we'll be going to a few different stores so you guys can pick out your next wardrobe." Victoria turned the page in her calendar. "Then on Monday we have the show in Omak at the Breadline Cafe."

"So, why isn't the photoshoot happening tonight again?" Steph asked. She was messing with a rubix cube on the couch across from Victoria.

"Yeah, what she said." Rachel said, who had her head in Steph's lap watching her solve the cube.

Victoria waved her hand dismissively. "All he said was he wanted to reschedule, so we did."

"He didn't give a reason?" Mikey's voice came from one of the beds.

"That's weird, you know." Chloe was at the mini-fridge trying to decide what soda she wanted. She settled on a Berry Fanta and closed the fridge back.

"I admit it's a little odd, even for him, but he made it sound urgent so we changed it to tomorrow." Victoria said. She looked up from the calendar. "And I'm gonna say this now; Just because you all have the night to yourselves does _not_ mean that you can run off and do what you want. Got it?"

"Aww, why you gotta be such a buzzkill Vicky?" Chloe asked as she plopped down beside Steph. She cracked open the soda can and put it to her lips.

Victoria inhaled through her nose, choosing to ignore Chloe's nickname for her. "I want you guys bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and _sober_ tomorrow morning." she continued. "Understood?"

"Yes, Miss Chase." they all groaned.

"I don't know how I ended up managing children." Victoria put a hand to her forehead and shook her head.

Rachel sat up from Steph's lap and looked over at Victoria. "Mama Vicky, can I have a juicy box pweeeeaase?" she said mockingly, which sent everyone into bouts of laughter.

"Fuck off." Victoria said. Still, a small smile appeared on her face.

* * *

The tour bus was parked outside the hotel they'd be staying at and everyone clambered off the bus almost five hours later. It was nearing eight o'clock and clouds were rolling in overhead, hinting at rain.

"Remember what I said," Victoria said as she got off the bus. "Don't leave any personal belongings in the bus because you never know what's going to happen."

The driver got off the bus and opened up the storage space and everyone gathered their respective suitcases and bags. They made their way towards the hotel once everything was locked back up. Victoria held the doors open for them when they reached the building.

"You wait here while I check us in." Victoria told them and turned around, heading to the front desk.

"So, who wants to room with who tonight?" Mikey asked. He sat down on one of the chairs in the common area.

Chloe shrugged. "Doesn't matter much to me."

"I think I was with Mikey last time." Rachel said and looked at Chloe. "So it's either you and Mikey or me and you."

"I'll room with Mikey tonight. And we can rotate again at the next hotel." Steph said.

"I'm cool with that." Mikey shrugged.

"So the rooming choices have been made?" Victoria said, coming back with the room keys. "Good. Here," She handed Rachel and Steph two of the keys. "These are your keys. We only need the rooms for one night, but do _not_ lose them. Be at the bus by ten. Got it?"

"Aye, aye, captain." Rachel muttered. She grabbed her suitcase.

"I can't hear you." Victoria said.

At Rachel's slowly developing grin, Victoria knew she fucked up.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Rachel repeated louder.

"Ooooooh!" Chloe began.

"Zip it!" Victoria hushed them. "You're all such children!"

"And yet you love us all the same." Steph said, smiling.

They all gathered their belongings again and headed to the elevators, where Mikey pushed the button and stood back. The elevator came down three floors and the doors pulled open, revealing a woman and her mother inside. The girl looked up from her phone and as she started walking out the elevator, she looked at the group before her. She paused, taking a second, and her face lit up in realization.

"No way..." she said quietly.

"What is it, dear?" her mother looked at her before glancing back to the band members with a quizzical eyebrow raised.

The girl lowered her phone and started smiling. "Are you guys... Wounded Premonition?"

Chloe laughed a bit. "Yep, that's us."

At that, the girl let out the highest pitched squeal anyone there had heard. "Oh my god, oh my god!" she said, bouncing on her toes. "Please, please, please, _please_ can I get a picture with you guys? I love your music so much!"

The band mates all looked over at Victoria for confirmation that it was okay. She smiled at them and gestured to the girl as a way of saying 'go ahead'. They grinned and looked back at the girl.

"Sure." Mikey said.

The girl squealed again and waited patiently for them to set their luggage down and make their way behind her. She held her phone up and her arm out to make sure that she fit them all. "Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

The girl snapped the picture using the volume button and lowered her arm to look at the end result. By the blinding smile on her face and the way she shifted from toe to toe like a little dance told them it came out perfect.

"I can't wait to tell Marco I saw Wounded Premonition at my hotel!" she exclaimed.

Her mother smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alright, Star, time to go." She looked up at the band. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you!" Star said.

"No problem. Have a good night." Steph said.

Once they'd walked away, Rachel pushed the button to open the elevator again. They boarded, albeit being almost completely cramped, and let the doors close.

"That's gonna take some getting used to." Mikey said

"Agreed. I forgot being recognized in public was a thing." Steph said.

"It's only gonna happen more once we're really off the ground." Rachel said.

Chloe listened to their words and said nothing. Because what they were saying is what scared her the most.

* * *

"So," Rachel said, sinking down onto the bed and reclining onto her elbows. She watched Chloe as she sifted through her suitcase for her toothbrush. "How'd your mom take the news about possibly being gone for a year?"

"Like just about any mother would." Chloe smiled a bit. "She went on about how she'd miss me and everything and how she wanted me to be safe."

"Did she cry? That's what my mom did when I told her I was leaving California." Rachel said.

"Nah, she didn't cry." Chloe found her toothbrush and repacked the clothes she took out, closing the suitcase and standing up. "I could tell she wanted to, though. She probably thought she was being strong for me."

Chloe turned towards the bathroom and flipped on the light. She started the water and stuck her toothbrush under it, grabbing the tube of toothpaste Rachel left for her to use.

"I hate teary goodbyes." Rachel said. Her voice sounded strained like she was stretching. "They always make me feel like the person thinks I'm not coming back or something. Like, it's just me going to start the next chapter in my life."

Chloe paused in brushing her teeth and spit in the sink so she could talk. "Yeah, but that's just how parents are. They'll miss us and want us to stay their babies forever, but still want us to go out and explore the world." She waved her hand in exaggeration.

"Being a parent sounds so stressful. I can hardly imagine having my own kid." Rachel said.

"Ditto." Chloe said around her toothbrush.

Chloe finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her toothbrush and the sink. She grabbed the toothpaste and shut off the light, leaving the bathroom. She returned her toothbrush to her suitcase and looked at Rachel. "Want me to put your toothpaste back in your bag?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

Chloe nodded and shuffled over to Rachel's bag, unzipping it enough to slip the tube in. She rose to her feet and headed over to the empty bed by the balcony doors. She collapsed onto it with a relieved groan, which made Rachel laugh.

"Save the groaning for tomorrow, drama queen." she commented.

"Kiss my ass." Chloe's words were muffled by the blanket, but Rachel heard them nonetheless.

Rachel laughed again and leaned over, reaching for the lamp and clicking it off. The room was drowned in darkness. Chloe crawled up to her pillow and turned her head to face the windowed doors to look outside. Rain streaked and pattered against the glass. In the distance, she could see lightning and hear the low rumble of thunder. She closed her eyes.

* * *

Chloe let out the groan she was saving per Rachel's words the night before. She was laying back on the couch of the tour bus, Steph sitting in front of the couch and Mikey again laying in one of the beds. Rachel was sitting beside Victoria looking at her phone. Hearing Chloe's groan, she shook her head and smiled.

"You're an ass, you know that?" she said.

"So I've been told." Chloe smirked and looked at Rachel from the corner of her eye.

They felt the bus turn and grabbed on to the nearest thing to stay upright, moving with the jolting as the bus went a bit over the sidewalk and into the parking lot. Victoria looked from the magazine in her hands to the window. "We're here."

The bus came to a jerked stop and they all started to get up and stretch. Chloe grabbed her half-empty cup of coffee (she was the only one who hadn't finished hers) and walked off the bus with the others. Outside smelled of rain and the diner next-door. It was a little foggy and there were puddles everywhere. The clouds hadn't quite left yet.

"This studio looks a lot bigger than his last one." Steph said as they started for the building.

"It is, which is good for us because it means the pictures will come out better, brighter, and clearer." Victoria said. "And he can get a lot more angles."

They stepped into the studio. There were a few separate doors down a hallway with labels on them for different sets and a couple offices.

"Pretty sure he said to go to Studio A." Victoria said. She walked ahead with the others close behind, reading the doors. She was almost at the end of the hall when she found the door she was looking for. "Ah, here we go."

She opened the door and they entered the set up. There was a basic white backdrop with three white boxes set in front of it. The two spotlights weren't on yet and there were a few different cameras on stands around the room. The cabinet to the far left was open, revealing red binders with names listed along the spines.

"Great, you made it!"

They all turned around to see Mark Jefferson coming up behind them with a camera in hand. He gave them a welcoming smile as he joined them in the studio.

"Mark, good to see you doing so well for yourself." Victoria said.

"Thank you, thank you." Mark said. He approached the table by the cabinet and set the camera down on it before facing them again. "Took four months to get this place up and running, but it all paid off in the end."

"Definitely a lot better than the basement studio back in Arcadia Bay." Mikey noted.

"But it served its purpose. I have to give the Prescotts credit where it is due." Mark said.

"Even though they're a bunch of-" Chloe began.

"Chloe!" Victoria warned. "You might want to watch yourself when you're badmouthing the people tthat own the record label you work for."

Chloe rolled her eyes but said nothing more.

"Also, before we get started on our photoshoot," Mark said. "I'd like to tell you all about something."

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"I informed Victoria about this already, but requested she not tell you until I saw you myself." Mark began. He started walking back to the hallway. "In the coming months, I'll be traveling overseas to New Zealand to do a shoot for one of their magazines. There's no official word on how long the gig will last."

"So then who's going to be our photographer?" Steph asked.

Mark smiled at them and leaned out into the hallway, gesturing for someone to come forward. He moved out of the doorway and a girl took his place. She had brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with the remainder falling around and framing her face. Freckles danced across the bridge of her nose and cheeks with glasses being the only thing interrupting their flow. She was dressed in a plaid shirt with a gray shirt underneath and casual blue jeans. She had her own camera hanging around her neck.

"I'd like you all to meet Maxine Caulfield." Mark introduced her, and she smiled shyly up at them.

"Max, actually." Max corrected. "Max Caulfield."

And Chloe had a sudden realization moment when she heard her voice.

"Holy shit, you're beanie girl aren't you?!" She pointed at Max.

"No way!" Steph said. Her jaw dropped.

"Beanie girl?" Victoria questioned, looking at them all.

Max blushed and rubbed the back of her back, laughing softly. "Yeah, that was me. Can't believe you guys remember me out of the mass."

"We remember anyone with an awesome sense of style." Rachel grinned at her. "And you obviously hold up to that."

"So you've already met?" Mark asked.

" _Technically_." Mikey emphasized on the word. "She was in the meet and greet line at our last show."

"Yeah, I'd already purchased the tickets before Mark invited me here and I figured it would be a waste not to use them." Max explained.

"Invited?" Chloe said.

"Yes, invited. Max, here," - Mark placed a hand on Max's shoulder. - "is my apprentice. She'll be traveling with you for the next six months to a year as a stand-in for me. If all goes well, she might even take my place officially as your new photographer."

"For real?" Rachel started smiling.

"That's so cool!" Steph exclaimed.

Chloe simply smiled and stepped forward, offering her hand to Max. Max took it and looked up at Chloe, feeling her heart skip in her chest at the playful yet genuine smile she wore.

"Well, Caulfield," Chloe said. "Welcome to the 'Wounded Premonition' family."

In that moment, Chloe could swear she'd never seen someone so cute light up so bright.

* * *

 **And the Pricefield ship has left the docks! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the little reference to Star vs. The Forces of Evil I included :) Join me in the next installment, won't you?**

 **Reference art for Max's look in this chapter and general look throughout the rest of the story: FoxyMirage on Deviantart, work titled " _Vampire and Werewolf AU_ ".**

 **CaptainVampireKing awaaay!**


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